


Well, Don’t You Know-

by Kiwibirdlafayette



Series: Tales from the the Arcadia Oaks Band [2]
Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: All the trolls are human- Blinky included, Also idk if anyone remembers Heartbeats but theres reference to that, Blinky’s a band director, Gen, Marching Band AU, Oneshot, Slightly - Freeform, Some other cast members mentioned by name, Such as Jim and Toby, Warning for brief mentions of crime, based on rocky-workshop’s work!!, claire’s a percussionist, nothing graphic though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 16:04:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17922002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiwibirdlafayette/pseuds/Kiwibirdlafayette
Summary: (Idea/Concept based off ideas from @Rocky-Workshops’s Marching Band/Gang AU)A sudden wave of crime can make just anyone fearful of the implications it could have on oneself, and percussionist Claire Nuñez is no exception. As if she didn’t have enough things to worry about as a student, now she’s got a favor to worry about- one that will have her learn more than she ever could have expected.





	Well, Don’t You Know-

**Author's Note:**

> I made a drawing to this and proceeded to actually write something  
> Sorry if the dialogues a little off I’ve never written Claire before

Claire had exactly one thing, and one thing only to find. Unluckily for her, this was already turning out to be a quite an odd day.

She had initially planned to work on memorizing the closer piece, but after an unexpected run in with the band’s two newest members, she found her plans would drastically change. Jim had _insisted_ that somewhere in Blinky’s office was a record book outlining gang activity in the past few decades, through a series of eyewitness testimonies and ex-members own confessions to the Arcadia Police Department. This meant that within those pages, laid the names of anyone who was involved at any point.

_Including the band directors they suspected had previous ties, and could definitely confirm any suspicions that this school is harboring more secrets than anyone could ever imagine._

Ever since the gang had started up again, all of the directors, Blinky included, refused to even mention it. Blinky had confiscated a supposed book on the history of gang activity in Arcadia Oaks from Jim and Toby earlier, followed with the notion they needed to focus on the season, and not get themselves involved in affairs that didn’t concern them. Toby had told her he had a hunch it had to do with the handkerchief Jim had picked up in the canal earlier that month, and an _inexplicable presence of a little more blood than usual._

But, it wasn’t like she had any suspicions that _these_ particular teachers were involved. In fact, Claire wasn’t sure how she got stuck with this job. She wished she hadn’t caved into Jim’s request so quickly.

It didn’t exactly help that she both pitied his helplessness at times, and that he was actually kind of.. well, cute.

…. She needed to get to work.

She snuck out from her hiding place between the SAT study book shelf and the essay prep books, and made her way towards the east side of the library, avoiding the gaze of the few stragglers. Nestled in this particular corner, near to the reception desk was a small cubicle, one which served as the office to their school’s marching director, and resident librarian.

Luckily for her, he had been away at a meeting with the other directors, and had, for some reason, left his door unlocked. _Talk about dumb luck._

Glancing around at the few lingering students finishing up a research projects or the like, she made sure no one was looking in her direction as she slowly opened the door to step inside, latching and locking it quietly behind her.

His office was exactly as she had remembered from all the times she had been in there for band related meetings (as band vice president for the past two years). There was constantly that familiar smell of coffee, freshly printed sheet music and musical scores that must have been at the school from before any of the directors had been born.

His desk, placed in the center, and surrounded by numerous photos on the wall, wasn’t exactly the neatest working space. Atop it laid piles of overdue library books, show scores and permission slips kids turned in late, the result of an overworked teacher. Behind it, his book wasn’t any better organized, as it contains just about an amalgamation of anything one would ever want to know about marching band pedagogy, music theory and the like. His two music degrees sat on one wall, photos and framed newspaper clippings on the other.

She stepped away from the desk, briefly lifting a window shade to steal a glance of the outside situation. By now, just about all the students had just about already left to go home, or were engaged in the extracurricular activities occurring outside, leaving the school library essentially deserted. After checking the lock on the door by giving a few light clicks, she turned back to the room to reassess the situation.

Claire made her way to the desk and acted cautiously as she hastily sifted through the stacks of paper, anxiously making her way around to the other side of his desk to allow her access to his bookshelf. Getting a closer look at some of the titles of the books was not as helpful as she hoped it would be, as they were exactly what she had suspected. They were all titles anyone would expect to be on the shelf of a band director.

It was at this point Claire wished Toby or Jim had given her the _title_ of the book she was looking for. Perhaps it was her fault for not asking for the specifics, but _it was a record book._ It could look like just anything these days. Perhaps he had hidden it within one of his theory books, or had placed a false cover on it to evade the gaze of those searching for things they shouldn’t be looking for. Maybe-

Claire suddenly froze, at a sound that seemed to pierce through the near silence. She had sworn she had the doorknob rattle. Maybe she’s imagining it.

 _And then it came again_. Except this time, it sounded if someone was using a key.

It was at this point she realized there were a number of places she could have hid. There, of course, was the piano off to the side of the room, and she was certainly small enough to fit in the space between the bench and the instrument. The space underneath Blinky’s desk was also quite ample for someone of her stature, but, nonetheless, she found herself unable to move.

She watched in terrifying fear as the school’s disheveled band director, wearing a navy sweater vest over a checkered white shirt, shuffled through the doorway, his leather portfolio and keyring in hand.

“Miss Claire? What are you doing in here?”

Claire stood there frozen as Mr. Blinky gave her a look of bewilderment, eyes dashing back and forth between the book now halfway off the shelf and him. In an attempt to lessen the uneasiness in the air, she forced an awkward smile, and slowly started pushing the book back into its spot on the shelf. It wasn’t what she was looking for anyways.

Blinky raised an eyebrow at her, crossing his arms. “Would you like to explain yourself?”

Claire came to her senses, after frantically looking around the room for some kind of relief, swiftly standing back up. “Yes! Well you see- I uhh…” She started making her way back around to the other side of the desk, while Blinky eyed her curiously. “I think I came in here.. on.. accident- Yeah! On accident!.” She attempted to reach past Blinky’s arm for the doorknob. “I was.. definitely, not looking, for anything in particular- in, fact! The book I need is probably.. outside, so I think I’ll-.”

Before she could slip past him, Blinky took a step over so that he was blocking the doorway. “You certainly don’t sound like you were up to nothing. Did you have a question or concern about something?”

“About?”

“...About, the show.. or, perhaps something else?”

Claire took a step back, sticking her hands in her skirt pockets. _Perhaps if she was honest, she’d get more answers then the book would provide. But, Jim had said they couldn’t rule anyone out yet, even though he definitely doesn’t sound like he’d be involved in anything like that. This of course might be all the more reason to ask something, because of any of the directors, he seems like he’d be the most likely to tell her what any information at all._

“Well? I apologize, but I haven’t got all afternoon.”

“If I’m going to be honest, I had a question about the gangs.”

Much to Claire’s surprise, Blinky was suddenly take aback, and not in a guilty way. There wasn’t anything about his sudden change in composure from that would make one suspicious of him through a sudden facade of defensiveness, but in a manner that made her think he was about to faint from shock.  

“... The.. gangs? Now-” He chuckled nervously, his forehead beading with sweat. “Why on Earth would you have questions about that?”

“Well…” Claire gripped her arm anxiously. _Maybe asking was a mistake. But it was a bit too late to take it back now._ “If I’m going to be honest… I- well, a lot of us… think the gangs are back. Like, reforming… Again. I came in here to look for a record book of previous members, cause well..  Jim said it would be here.” She turned her head, afraid to see what Blinky must have been thinking. “And.. Well, we’re afraid they’re hiding and going to target this school too. And-.”

Blinky put his hand up, prompting her to stop in the middle of her sentence. Before she could start talking again, pulled another chair from the side of his office, placing opposite the bookshelf. He gestured for her to take as a seat, as he silently wnet over and took a seat in in his chair.

Claire felt part of her soul sink in fear. She had this feeling she was about to be scolded, or worse, given detention or something of the sort, for, well, breaking and entering. But, at the same time, could admit she hadn’t the slightest clue about what about to happen next. Regardless, she hesitantly took a seat.

Blinky brought his hand to his forehead, massaging his temples, as if to prevent an outburst of anger. He himself would admit he had been aware of this sudden resurgence in crime, but he had hoped none of the students would be so inquisitive about it. Much to his surprise they were.

He laced his fingers, placing both hands onto the desk, and sighing. He wasn’t sure where to start. He found his eyes continuously wandering back down to the sheets of music and forms littered across his desk, as if unsure where to start.

Claire stared at him in apprehension, as with every passing moment of not knowing what he was about say, her heart raced faster and faster. It was at this moment she wished she had taken her last opportunity to run out of there. The kinds of anxieties she had felt in this very moment were very much comparable to the kinds one would get if they had been called into the principal's office in the middle of class. Sure, Mr. Blinky wasn’t as strict as Principal Uhl, but that didn’t matter.

Not right now, anyways.

“Y’know Mr. Blinky, if now’s not a great time for questions-” Claire made the bold decision to slowly, but quietly back her chair up slightly. _If she had a good enough excuse, she could surely get out of there._ “-I can come back.” She started to shift around in her chair.

“No, I insist. I won’t be around later anyways.”

_Goddammit._

Claire turned back around. “Oh, uh.. ok.”

Blinky straightened his back in the chair. “Just so I’m in complete understanding before I say anything, you’d like to know about the gangs, correct?”

Claire bit her lip. “Um, kinda.. Actually, basically, yes.” _There didn’t seem to be any point in lying now. If there was one thing she knew better then anything from being in band for 5 years, it’s that band directors can smell bad lies from miles away._

Blinky nodded in acknowledgement. “And you believed the best way was to break into my office in search of the book I had _confiscated_ from Tobias and Jim earlier?”

“... Maybe?”

“I see.” He leaned back in his chair and spun around so that he faced his bookshelf, allowing him to pull the desired book, bound in blue leather, off of it. He turned back around, flipping through the worn out pages. “Contrary to what you might believe about this record book, I think what you’ll find quite interesting-” He placed the book down on the table, open to a page on the now retired police captain, Deya Arcona. “-is how little information about the gang _members_ you’ll actually find in this book.”

Claire squinted, peering down at the text in the book, which listed down the names and dates of people she took in, as well as her detective work prior to joining the force. As she scanned the pages, she had noticed-

No listing of any names of people who hadn’t been arrested. Not a single one. _And this meant not a single director._

“Peculiar, isn’t it?”

Claire back looked up at Blinky an eyebrow raised. “But what about the other pages?”

“Take a look.” Blinky flipped through them, stopping for just enough time to let her get the gist of each section. “Images, interviews, the typical kinds of things you’d find in a recollection of Arcadia Oaks in the late 80’s, early 90’s. Nothing of real significance.” He closed the book and put it off to the side.

Claire brought her hand to her forehead, a bewildered look plastered across her face. “But.. Isn’t this supposed to be a _record book?_ ”

Blinky chuckled. “Calling it a ‘record’ book might be overstating it a bit. Visual history, I think is a better way of describing it. If you want to see cold, hard evidence and records, you’d need to become a police officer and obtain access to their evidence locker, and _their records._ ”

Claire pursed her lips together. “Then…. why did Jim say there was evidence in here? And why’d you take it away?”

“Well, for starters, I do not think Mr. Lake got the chance to peruse of the book in its entirety, and well…” He paused, as if hesitant. “I don’t feel that is necessarily something that needs to be brought up in an academic setting.”

“Really? Cause Coach Lawrence brings it up a lot. And Mr. Strickler’s mentioned stuff about it before during jazz band. And, isn’t it technically history?”

Blinky brought a hand up to his face, resting his palm on his chin. “Um- Well, still- I can’t quite explain-”

“But why?” _She could tell he was hiding something, and hoped her persistence wasn’t going to get her in trouble._

“I have my reasons for why, and not necessarily ones I have to disclose to you.”

Claire, unconsciously, stood up. “Well.. I don’t mean any disrespect, but I think we deserve to know. We’re not as blind to the horrors of this town as you think. We’ve seen, and some, _experienced_ firsthand the crime in this town. And-” _Shit. She didn’t realize how loud she had gotten until she saw the utter disbelief in Blinky’s disappointed, yet calm expression._

“Sorry. I got a little carried away.”

Blinky folded his hands over his chest. “Yes, I’m aware.”

“I’m.. very passionate about this.” She sunk back into her chair. “And, well,”

“You believe I’m withholding some kind of information from you, because I assume you aren’t mature enough.”

“Kind of.. yeah.”

Blinky exhaled deeply before bringing his hands back to rest upon the desk. “I understand. I can imagine why you’d be upset. Perhaps, you do deserve to know.”

“Really? But you just said-”

“I have just changed my mind. As Arthur puts it simply, I am persuaded quite easily by you students.”

Claire paused then nodded. It wasn’t like she was going to oppose it. _Again, what dumb luck._

Blinky pulled his sleeves up, rolling closer to his desk so he could set his elbows done. “You do remember I attended this very high school, right?”

“Yup.”

“And that I was drum major during the fall seasons of 1983 and 1984?”

“I remember.”

“So, assuming you are as well versed in the history of this town as you seem to be, certainly you must remember what happened in through the duration of the time at the latter half of those two years.”

Claire thought for a moment. _Right. The beginning of the end. 1985 was the first year Arcadia Oaks High almost didn’t have a band at all._ “There was the beginning of the gang wars, I think.”

“Yes, Gunmar’s sudden rise to power, essentially.” He brought his elbows down and rested his forearms on the desk. “A very troubling time indeed.” Blinky stared wistfully towards a picture frame of an older looking band photograph on his wall. “One might even say I was in a similar situation to the one you are in now, as it seemed the crime found its way into determining how our marching season was about to play out.”

Claire’s interest was suddenly piqued. She had known about the band from her mother, an ex-colorguard, and the gangs from her father. Somehow, it had never occurred to her that that there was some kind of connection between the two. It certainly seemed so obvious now.

“How so?”

Blinky tapped his fingers. “Well.. Let’s just say the situation back then for us was about as ideal is our situation is now. Just some disaster waiting to happen, which in fact, had happened.”

“Oh.” Claire was hesitant to speak. “Did you… lose someone?”

“Sort of. Do you remember Sir Merlin? The famed marching director of this part of town?”

“The band wizard? Yeah, he taught at a school she spun at. Did you know her?”

“Hm, I can’t recall. I’ve met far too many band people over the years I’m afraid I could not remember them all. But I digress.” Blinky reached into his pocket, procuring a set of five keys. Back then, we always knew the gangs existed. It was something that you just _knew_ was something to be wary of, almost like a way of life.” He began to search through the key ring. “Despite this, things in band were fairly normal. That, of course, was until the fall season of 1984.”

He paused for a minute. “We were well on our way to learning a show to once again earn us a spot at Nationals. I believe our theme that year was _catalyst to the storm._ ” He pulled one key out from the ring. “Certainly ironic, considering the ‘storm’ that followed.”

Claire watched intently as Blinky opened one of his desk drawers, pulling out a dusty manila folder covered in rust spots. “See, just about midway through our season, something very odd happened, just out of the blue.” He placed the folder on the desk. “For reasons I myself to this day do not know, Mr. Merlin and our guard advisor at the time, Patricia Morgan, got into an hours long argument, which ended in her resignation, and sudden disappearance from existence all together. She dropped out of college, and went completely off the grid, as if she wanted us to forget she ever was here.”

“But.. Isn’t that who’s teaching at our rival school?”

“Yes, she is now. She hasn’t of course, ever explained her sudden disappearnece to us, or, talk to us, of course. But at the time, and for the longest time, we had thought her all to be.. well, dead.”

As if cued, the ancient lights in the library flickered slightly, reminiscent of a wandering spirit passing through.

“And, to make matters worse, not a week later, Mr. Merlin too disappeared from Arcadia Oaks. No warning, not a single trace left behind. He just, completely vanished. And, because of that well, the APD had no choice but to declare him indefinitely dead.”

Claire froze. She certainly had always wondered where the famed director had gone off to. She had her theories, but _this wasn’t ever one of them._

“At the time, everyone in the band had their theories. Some thought he had been taken out by one of the street gangs. Others held onto the belief he had finally retired, changed his identity and went off to live in bliss in paradise.” He averted his gaze, his voice lowering in volume. “But there was one thing we all knew for certain. It must have had something to do with Patricia. It was the only part of it that seemed to make sense.”

Claire could start to see the optimism she had gotten accustomed to seeing in her teacher’s expression begin to fade.

“And, just as I predicted, everything, _just everything_ went downhill from there.” His voice became more hushed. “The student leaders and I had come to the decision that even without our admin, we would still attempt to finish the season. Even if we didn’t make it to nationals, we at least had to perform at Heartstone University’s local competition, and do a decent enough job.”

“And.. Did you?”

Blinky paused, turning to look back at Claire.

“Oh, how I wish we had.”

He began to fidget with his wedding ring. “In weeks following, what the newspapers wouldn’t tell you was that the primary problem wasn’t that admin couldn’t find us a replacement band director, they just simply had no intention of doing so in the first place. They called it, a waste of time, as they only believed it would put us more at risk.” He wheeled over to the window next to the bookshelf to open the blinds. “In between rehearsals, we went to the offices time and time again, _begging_ for just the slightest bit of information about our director, or even the _slightest bit_ of help. And everytime, they simply turned us down. It was always just, quote unquote, _figure it out_.”

“Because they didn’t know anything?”

“Because they didn't want to help us.” Blinky came back over to the desk, and opened the manilla folder to a collection of newspaper clippings. “To them, we were just a group of entitled musicians who cared more about, and I quote-” He picked up a page from the stack. “-‘The obtaining of a pointless arts trophy then the safety of our own neighborhood.’” He scoffed. “A good half of us had some kind of tie to the gangs, there was certainly no doubt about that, but that hadn’t ever meant we were advocates for violence or believed they were justified in their actions.”

“Of course.”

“Even Arthur, whom I had just started dating at the time, who was in the gangs prior to joining band couldn’t tell us anything. We were essentially, well, caught in the eye of the storm.” He pulled out a second set of newspapers for Claire to ponder upon.

As he spoke, he shuffled through the pages, pulling them out one by one. “The gang activity only worsened from there, meaning teachers were now even less likely to get involved. Incredibly well off families started to move out of town, students started transferring out the band, creating gaps that made it even more difficult for the officers and I to keep everything together. But nonetheless, we got a show out on the field, even if it was essentially a building with a foundation of sticks.”

He brought a third page out, placing it on top of the reports on those leaving and the surge in crime. Upon this page was a photo of the student leaders, Blinky, the head drum major, in the center, and the two guard captains, Kim Wang and Amelia Brown. “But we renamed it. Because making reference to a storm’s catalyst seemed a bit ironic considering our current situation, we called it _Rise from the ashes._ A show telling the story of a family shot down from the sky, rebuilding their lives from ground up.” For a brief moment, Blinky’s worry was replaced by a nostalgic smile.

Claire hoped she could be at ease. But she knew this was likely not the end of it. “So… it went well then?”

And the smile faded. “Not exactly.”

Instead of going to the manila folder, he reached back down into his drawer and took out an entire newspaper, handing it to Claire. She felt herself sink even further back into the chair upon reading the headline.

 _“Arcadia Post, October 9, 1984:_ **_Local Band Fails Again In the Face of Adversity_ **

_Blame falls again to the futile, pointless efforts of head drum major-_

_-Blinkous Galadrigal.”_

She gulped. It seemed impossible for that to have happened, its not like standards could have been that high for them in such a terrible situation. Hell _, he was only a kid._

“Troubling isn’t it?” He leaned forward onto his desk, head hanging over in what could only be shame. “They ran that article for a week after that _one_ show.” His voice seethed with old anger. “If you’d ask me, or anyone who was there, it wasn’t the worst show to ever have existed. It certainly was less than what folks were used to seeing from our group but _what else could we have done?_ I was no professional, we had only so much experience between all us.” He balled his fists. “How on Earth could they have expected so much of us?”

Claire skimmed over the article. Just as she had suspected, every part of their efforts, every aspect of the show was criticized. Every sentence simply just discredited their ability as an ensemble , and in fact, _not a single bit of credit was given at all to them._ “I’m so sorry.. This- this couldn’t have been right.”

He scoffed. “I‘ve been aware. And can you believe it took all of that for Heartstone University to finally agree to help us, even just the slightest.” Grim feelings came through the air. “But I had good reason to believe I, as a pseudo-band director had already failed them.”

Claire placed the paper back down on the desk. She wanted to respond, but no words seemed to come.

“There was so much more I could have done and-.” Claire could see him trying not to hold back so much frustration. “-Yet I did nothing. I put too much faith in the hopes our luck would eventually turn for the better, and look what happened when I did.” He gathered up the clippings from earlier and stacked them back and placed them back into the folder. “I swore from that day on, that once deciding I would study music education, that nothing of the sort would happen again.”

He hastily shut the folder. “But of course, that was when I was confident the gangs wouldn’t ever come back.”

Claire slid the newspaper back towards Blinky. “So.. I mean… If you had to go through all this.. why didn’t you say something before?” _She paused. She hoped she wasn’t making a mistake._ “I’m not trying to be rude, or anything, but from what it sounds like, you kind of wished the teachers had told you guys what you wanted to know… so why hide stuff from us now?”

Blinky hesitated before responding. “Because thinking retrospectively, I know now my frustration wasn’t that we weren’t told anything by the others, but rather the feeling of knowing how _wrong_ it was that we were even stuck that situation in the first place. No matter how exposed to the horrors of this world we might have been, we shouldn’t have had to get stuck in the parts we were forced to portray.” He placed the newspaper back in his desk drawer. “As your director, I don’t want you to have to experience the same kind of pressure onto you all that Merlin put onto us. That’s, I was hesitant to tell any of you, even after everything you must have seen.”

He took the manila folder and placed it inside the history book. “That’s is also the reason I keep this book out of circulation. It’s not your responsibility to know about the horrors of the past and present, and try to play hero to solve it. In fact,” he pushed the book further to the side of his desk, so it now partially hung off of stack of scores. “-none of it should ever have to fall into your hands.”

“But Mr. Blinky-”

The solemness returned to his face. “And, despite much as I suffered, for the band, in the event that these suspicions you have intensify, I’d do it all again. I’d sacrifice everything I had if it meant finishing strong a season in the face of what could be _blood stained disaster._ Because that’s my responsibility to you. The promise I made when I took this job.”

He paused, fighting to hold back tears. There was no way he was about to cry in front of his student. After taking a deep exhale, he stood up and laced his hands behind his back. “Promise me, there are far more essential things for you to be concerned with. Like, doing well as a section leader, or more importantly, staying safe.”

“But-”

“Claire.” Blinky walked around and put his hand on the back of her chair. “I’m asking you, both as your teacher and.. as a friend, that you, and Tobias.. and Jim stay out of this. If Gunmar and his people are really trying to come back, don’t go searching in places where you could be seriously hurt. I can’t bear to lose a single one of you.. Not now, not ever.”

Claire paused. _She could promise him in words, but she knew she could never stay out of it._ She nodded. “I understand.”

Blinky nodded, hoping she had been sincere, although he knew deep in heart she might not have. He tried to push those suspicions aside for now.

“And, I must ask you once again… Do not tell anyone about what I have told you today. Like I’ve said, there is a reason those newspapers sit untouched in my drawers.”

Claire stood up and reached down to grab her bag. “I know Mr. Blinky. I get it but..” She slung her bag over her shoulder. “Even though I know you don’t want us to feel responsible for holding together the band up like you did at our ages, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have to feel like you have to take care of everything alone.”

“I understand I have the other directors, I’m certainly not unaware of that.”

“No, no, I mean-” Claire went to open the office door. “I mean us, the kids. Now.. I heard what you said and you make a good point but..” She sighed. “We’re stronger than you think. We may not have as much as experience as you did back then, but we’ve seen things and we know things that I think could make a difference.”

Claire opened the door and started walking out into the main part of the library. “I’m just as scared as you are, in fact, all of us are. But.. hiding the truth isn’t going to help us. Fake optimism is only going to make us more and more curious. We have to face this together. Students and directors”

_She hoped she made her point clear enough. Jim was probably worried sick. Not that, Jim’s opinion mattered to her.. Or Toby’s for that matter. Jeez._

Blinky nodded slowly. “... I suppose you make a fair point. I shall, perhaps consider. But for now, I suggest heeding my advice.”

“I will.”

He sighed. “You ought to get back to practicing.” He made his way over to the desk at the front of the library, grabbing the keys off hook placed on the aged cork bulletin board

Claire chuckled. “I know. I’m actually headed to the band room now.”

She heard him chuckle as he went to open the door.

“Good good I’m proud.. but for goodness, please don’t break into my office again. I’m serious, please just ask- ok? I’d likely be more willing to just answer your questions.”

She nodded. “And, thank you for not uh.. giving me detention.”

“Consider it my favor. You’re a fine musician and a fine student. But, I’m only excusing it this once.”

“Of course. This won’t happen again.”

Claire glanced at her watch. “And… thank you for telling me that story. I guess, I thought I knew everything about the band’s history, but there.. there really is so much I don’t know.”

Blinky didn’t answer her, but she could tell what he was thinking. A nonverbal acknowledgement was certainly enough.

He went to open the door for Claire as she walked out. “And well, sad as it is, the kids aren’t alright, and they never have been.”

As she made her way into the hallway towards the practice rooms (where she was to meet Jim and Toby), Claire looked back over her shoulder once more, saying one last thing before he closed the door behind her.

“I know.”


End file.
